Darkness Captured by Delilah Devlin Page B

for her than death. But he could tell Simon wouldn’t say any more.
    Resigned to cool his heels again, he drank down the beverage Ninshubur set in front of him. The drink was sweet, like fermented honey. He drained it and slapped the cup on the table.
    Ninshubur laughed. “You’ll have a headache come morning.”
    “But I’ll sleep well.” He had a feeling he’d need all the rest he could get.
    Gabriella stood on the balcony. Moonlight painted the barren landscape stretching as far as she could see in shades of silver and gray. Marduk had been gone for hours, and she’d chased Xalia away after she’d been bathed and dressed, and candles around the room had been lit. The demon girl gave her a major case of the willies despite the fact she seemed harmless and sincere in her wish to serve her. Gabriella hoped Marduk never invited her to join them in bed.
    She’d pleaded exhaustion, wanting time alone to thoroughly explore the room, which she had to no avail. There was nothing she could use as a weapon and no hidden accesses. The pool’s drainage spout was too narrow for her hips to ever fit through, as was the pipe servicing a toilet. The only way out was through the door, which was locked, or out the window. But the drop was a long one to the desert floor, and besides, she didn’t think she’d find a way home there. Her escape route had to be somewhere inside this fortress. Perhaps through the mirror in the hall, if she could access it like Alex’s from this side before the hellhounds or the dinner guests ate her.
    If there was another way out, she’d find it, but first she had to gain Marduk’s trust so that he’d let her out of this room. Then maybe she’d find an ally, someone she could bribe, but with what?
    She shuddered, remembering what Marduk said about how valuable a live creature from the other realm was. Maybe she’d have to trade favors or blood for information. Unless Guntram found her first.
    Closing her eyes, she prayed. Something she never did. She hadn’t needed prayers before, having always relied on her silent protector to keep her safe. But she prayed now, and not just for herself. Guntram would be out of his depth here. He might be a fearsome warrior, but he needed a sadistic sort of cleverness to maneuver here.
    Still, thoughts of him wading into a fray on her behalf, his strong features tight and feral, warmed her heart. Again she wondered why she’d resisted her attraction to him. A man willing to lay down his life for a woman, a man willing to see her happy above his own self-interest was worth more than foolish pride.
    And she knew without a doubt he’d be just as single-minded when seeing to her pleasure. His powerful body had always drawn her lustful gaze. He’d never been shy about letting her see his reaction to hers. Shifting from wolfskin to human form after darting through the forest when she’d tried to outrun her heats, he’d always followed, basking unashamed in moonlight.
    His low, fierce growls as he’d narrowed his gaze when she’d sauntered naked among the males had been more than a warning for them to keep their distance. His turgid cock spoke volumes.
    Once, she’d pushed him beyond his iron control.
    “You shouldn’t tease them, Princess,” he’d said after chasing the others off.
    Resting against the trunk of a pine tree, she’d raised her arms above her head, pretending to stretch, enjoying the way the crisp air spiked her nipples. “Why? I have you to protect me.”
    His gaze swung toward hers. “You shouldn’t tease me.”
    “Why are you so serious, Raven? They know I’ll never let them have me. It’s only a game we play, circling each other.”
    “For you perhaps. But the stakes are high. One might get ambitious.”
    She’d eyed him, sweeping his body, noting the tension in his shoulders and fisted hands. Then he’d faced her, and again, her breath caught at the strength of his arousal. He was right. She shouldn’t tease him. It had to be